New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said he had no interest whatsoever in quarantining individual cities in his state in light of the coronavirus outbreak, saying such a move would require sign-off at the state level.
Mr. Cuomo also said that the number of positive coronavirus cases in New York state now tops 1,300 but that projections indicate cases might not peak for another 45 days.
“There are many rumors out there — part of the fear, the anxiety, people spread rumors: ’Well, maybe you’re going to quarantine New York City,’ ” Mr. Cuomo said at a news conference in Albany.
“That is not true,” he said. “That cannot happen. It cannot happen legally. No city in [the] state can quarantine itself without state approval, and I have no interest whatsoever and no plan whatsoever to quarantine any city.”
He said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New York state now tops 1,300 and that more than 10,000 people have been tested.
Mr. Cuomo said people themselves weren’t “contained” in New Rochelle, which had posed a particular problem with the coronavirus, and that they could still come and go as they pleased despite restrictions on gatherings and shuttering of schools.
Earlier Tuesday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was weighing a “shelter in place” plan along the lines of what San Francisco and some California counties have adopted where residents can essentially only leave their homes for necessities.
Asked about the California plans, Mr. Cuomo said he’s “resistant to nothing” but that it doesn’t make sense to start picking and choosing individual cities on which to impose new restrictions.
“Whatever we will do, we will do statewide,” he said. “The quarantine suggests you are limiting somebody’s movement to a geographic area. … All you would do is move people out of one place to another, right? Because there are people who just will panic at the thought of being quarantined.”
He also said he hasn’t thought about delaying New York’s April 28 presidential primary contest, as other states make similar moves.
Mr. Cuomo said he spoke to President Trump Tuesday morning and said: “I put my hand out in partnership.”
“I need your help, I want your help,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I think the president was 100% sincere in saying he wanted to work together.”
“His team is on it — they’ve been responsive,” he said.
Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Trump have been engaged in an online spat over the response to the escalating COVID-19 outbreak.
The governor spoke a day after Mr. Cuomo, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that theaters, gyms, bars and restaurants would be temporarily closed in their states.
Mr. Cuomo said people who might be angry about the closures should be mad at him and not any local officials.
“The buck stops on my desk,” he said. “Your local mayor did not close your restaurants, your bars, your gyms or your schools. I did. … I assume full responsibility.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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